How the poppy became the symbol of sacrifice

Poppies are worn around the world as a symbol to remember those who have died in military service.
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Wooden crosses are placed on the last day of the Tower of London's 'Blood swept Lands and Seas of Red' poppy installation in the Tower of London in London, Britain, 11 November 2014.(Photo: Facundo Arrizabalaga/ EPA)

One hundred years after the United States entered World War I, the red poppy still symbolizes the sacrifices made by soldiers in the fight against Germany.

Millions of people in countries including the United Kingdom, Canada, France, and Belgium, celebrate Remembrance Day, also known as Armistice Day, every Nov. 11, by wearing red poppy flowers to commemorate civilians and military personnel who lost their lives in wars.

Americans celebrate Veterans Day, also on Nov. 11, to show appreciation for all living military officials who service their country. In the U.S., people wear the red poppy on Memorial Day, the last Monday of May (May 29, 2017) to honor those who died trying to protect the country, according to The Department of Veterans Affairs.

The red color is not a reflection of the color of blood, nor is it a symbol of death or a sign of support for war, according to the Royal British Legion, a U.K. charity for military officers and their families.

So, how did the poppy come to symbolize the sacrifices of World War I soldiers? The story goes like this:

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A U.S. Army 37mm gun crew mans their weapon on Sept. 26, 1918, during the World War I Meuse-Argonne (Maas-Argonne) Allied offensive in France. One century ago the United States entered World War I, tipping the balance of the conflict towards an Allied victory and marking the country's emergence as a global power. America declared war on Germany on April 6, 1917, swinging the country's industrial might and vast manpower to aid the French and British armies, which were bogged down in a grinding trench war with Germany and its allies. AP

Soldiers of Battery C of the 6th Field Artillery Regiment fire round after round on the Lorraine front on Sept. 12, 1918. Ejected from the gun, the casing from the shell just fired flies through the air as the next one is loaded. U.S. Army via AP

Unprepared for the final plunge into World War I, the United States rallied with almost hysterical unity after the declaration of war against Germany on April 6, 1917. Major General John J. Pershing was named by President Wilson to command the American Expeditionary Force. He wasted no time getting to France to make plans. Pershing in seen after his arrival in France. AP

This file photo from The National Archives taken in September 1918 during World War I, at Camp Hospital Number 43,
Lieutenant John Applebee (right), an American Red Cross Home Service worker gives comfort and reassurance to American soldiers in September of 1918 during World War I. AFP/Getty Images

Captain Eddie V. Rickenbacker, American ace fighter pilot, is shown with his fighter Spad plane during World War I. Rickenbacker served in the U.S. Air Service in France as commanding officer of the 94th Aero Pursuit Sqaudron. He shot down 22 enemy planes and four observation balloons. U.S. Army Air Force, via AP

This is a 1919 photo of Sgt. Alvin York of the U.S. Army in an unknown location. York received the Medal of Honor for killing 25 Germans, capturing 132 prisoners and putting 35 machine gun nests out of commission. U.S. Army via AP

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During World War I, much of the fighting took place in Western Europe. The Belgium Flanders, the Northernmost point of the Western Front during the First World War, became one of the most devastated regions in the battlefield. The war turned the beautiful countryside into a field of mud where nothing could grow. But poppy flowers sprouted on the land of thousands of dead men.

In early May 1915, a Canadian doctor and poet, Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, who recently lost a friend and a fellow lieutenant in the war witnessed the sight of bright red poppies flourishing in an unlikely place. The vision inspired him to write a poem called “In Flanders Fields,” which became famous. The poem has been part of memorial ceremonies across the world ever since.

His poem moved the heart of Moina Michael, an American professor, who wrote her own poem in 1918 titled "We shall keep the faith." Known as the "Poppy lady," Michael campaigned to make the poppy the internationally-recognized symbol of remembrance and welfare for war veterans. She did this to raise funds for veterans returning from WWI, and succeeded.

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Here's a look at the U.S. involvement in WWI, which began on April 6, 1917, with a declaration of war against Germany.
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In 1918, she also made and sold red silk poppies, according to the Royal British Legion. A French woman, Anna Guérin, brought them to England. The Royal British Legion then ordered 9 million of those poppies and sold them on Nov. 11, 1921, the year the organization was founded. The poppies raised a generous amount of money to assist WWI veterans find new jobs and housing.

The following year in 1922, Major Geroge Howson, a British army officer, established the Poppy Factory in Richmond, England, to employ disabled veterans.

Today, the factory employs around 30 disabled veterans to produce the poppies and wreaths for the Royal Family and The Royal British Legion’s annual Poppy Appeal.